A great showman

Santosh Mehta

Joy-Ann Reid

Raj Kapoor would have been 95 on December 14 this year. He is a legend and is known as the Greatest Showman, Charlie Chaplin and Clark Gable of The Hindi Cinema. He is responsible for producing, directing and acting in many highly successful Hindi films of the so-called Golden Era of Indian Cinema.

Son of Prithviraj Kapoor, he was born in Peshawar (now in Pakistan). His family moved to Bombay in the 1930s, and he began as a child artist in 1935 in Inquilad at the age of 10, and remained active for half a century, during which he was involved in 72 films either as a producer, director, actor or editor.

Among his best known and most commercially successful films are Awaara (1951), Aah (1953), Boot Polish (1954), Shree 420 (1955), Chori Chori (1956), Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960), Sangam (1964), Mera Naam Joker (1970), Bobby (1973), Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978), Prem Rog (1982), and Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985).

He was popular not just in India, but abroad too, particularly in the then Soviet Union, China and the Middle East. He won three National Film Awards, 11 Filmfare Awards, the Babasaheb Phalke Award, and was honoured with a Padma Bhushan in 1971. The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award is named after him.

He set up his own film studio R K Films in 1948 in Chembur, Mumbai. He died in 1988 at the age of 63, but he has left behind a legacy of memorable films. His own family has nine members who have been actively involved in the Hindi film industry: his sons Randhir,Rishi, Rajiv, daughters-in-law Babita (Randhir’s wife) and Neetu (Rishi’s wife), granddaughters Karisma and Kareena (Randhir’s daughters) and Ranbir (Rishi’s son).

He became famous after his brilliant acting in Awaara and Boot Polish early in his career. Both these films got him nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival, France. TIME Magazine rated his performance in Awaara as one of the top ten greatest performances.

Raj Kapoor has also served as a jury member at the Fourth Moscow International Film Festival. In 1970, he produced, directed and starred in his ambitious film Mera Naam Joker, which took more than six years to complete. His son Rishi Kapoor made his debut in this film, playing the younger version of his character.

Raj Kapoor family He got his big break in Neel Kamal (1947) opposite Madhubala in her first role as a leading lady.
In 1948 , he became the youngest film director of his time, making his directorial debut with Aag, in which he starred himself as hero along with Nargis, Kamini Kaushal and Prem Nath. His onscreen chemistry with his co-stars such as Nargis and Kamini Kaushal was praiseworthy. He went on to act with Nargis in as many as 16 films.
Raj Kapoor acted brilliantly along with veteran Dilip Kumar and Nargis in 1949 in Andaz, directed by the legendary Mehboob Khan, and that role was his first major success as an actor. He had his first success as producer, director and actor of Barsaat, released later that year.
He was not only producer but acted in several hit films made under his R. K. Banner, including Awaara, Shree 420, Jagte Raho, and Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai. The last was directed by Radhu Karmakar, his longtime cinematographer, and it won the Filmfare Award for Best Film. These films established his screen image modelled on Charlie Chaplin's most famous screen persona of The Tramp.

His other notable films as a leading actor included Dastan (1950), Anhonee (1952), Aah (1953), Chori Chori (1956), Anari (1959), Chhalia (1960) and Dil Hi To Hai (1963). He also produced hit social films Boot Polish (1954) and Ab Dilli Door Nahin (1957). Till now, songs from Boot Polish and Shree 420 continue to mesmerize.

Raj Kapoor acted along with Vaijayantimala Bali in the romantic musical Sangam (1964), the first film made in colour in India, which he also produced, directed and acted as hero. This was his last major success as a leading actor.

Raj Kapoor has also served as a jury member at the Fourth Moscow International Film Festival. In 1970, he produced, directed and starred in his ambitious film Mera Naam Joker, which took more than six years to complete. His son Rishi Kapoor made his debut in this film, playing the younger version of his character.

In Awara, he acted along with his father Prithviraj Kapoor, brother Shashi Kapoor, and Nargis. The film’s dialogues were written by Khwaja Ahmed Abbas. The film was a great hit not only in India but also in the Middle East.

In Shree 420, he pays homage to Charlie Chaplin just as in Awaara and Jagte Raho. Abbas’s dialogues lend depth to Shri 420’s principal character Raju: a vagabond driven by the poverty of the countryside to the big city. Raju, played by Raj Kapoor, falls in love with Vidya, a teacher played by Nargis. Nadira also acted in this film.

Mera Naam Joker featured, among others, a number of Soviet actors and extras---doubtless as a salute to Raj Kapoor’s popularity in the Soviet Union. Mera Naam Joker was once again an explicit homage to Chaplin.

Raj Kapoor directed Sangam, in which he and Rajendra Kumar vie for the beauteous Vyjayantimala’s affection. It is a narcissistic tale of friendship and extreme sacrifice as two men love the same woman. The film became a hit. Vyjayantimala won much praise and appreciation for her dances and performance.

Raj Kapoor is appreciated by film critics and his fans. The Government of India has released a stamp to honour him on 14 December 2001. His films Aag, Shree 420 and Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai had a patriotic theme, and encouraged film-goers to be patriots.

Besides acting, direction and writing screen-plays, he launched his sons Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor. He produced Bobby with Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. It too became a super hit at the box office. Even today, the film’s song Hum Tum Ek Kamrey May Band Ho can be heard on the radio. The on-screen chemistry between Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia contributed to its commercially success. Dimple sported a colourful bikini, looked sexy and bold. Moviegoers flocked to cinema halls in their thousands to see her.

The female body fascinated Raj Kapoor, and he produced and directed several woman-centric films in the 1970s and early 1980’s. Among them are Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) with Zeenat Aman, Prem Rog (1982) with Padmini Kolhapure and Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985), in which he introduced Mandakini. They all became great hits.

His last acting role was a cameo appearance was in Kim, a British made-for-television film (1984). His last wish was to direct Henna, but he passed away before he could do so. His sons Randhir and Rishi completed it with Pakistani actress Zeba Bakhtiar, and released it in 1991.

Raj had an arranged marriage with Krishna Malhotra (1964). They had three sons Randhir, Rishi and Rajiv, and two daughters Ritu Nanda and Rima Jain. Eldest daughter Ritu is married to industrialist Rajan Nanda. She happens to be motherin-law of Amitabh Bachchan’s daughter Shweta.

Despite being a married man, Raj Kapoor is known to have had a romantic relationship with Nargis, the heroine of his films during the 1940s and 1950s. But he never admitted to it.

He suffered from asthma and died of complications related to asthma at the age of 63. He collapsed during a ceremony in New Delhi where he was being awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 1987.

Raj introduced actresses Nargis, Nimmi, Dimple Kapadia, and Mandakini, among others. He was possibly the first director in Bollywood who went out of his way to display on screen the physical beauty of his well-endowed heroines and thus introduced eroticism in Bollywood.

He worked for decades with the same creative team that comprised dialogue writer Khwaja Ahmed Abbas (eight films), lyricist Shailendra, cinematographer Radhu Karmakar, singers Mukesh and Manna Dey, and music directors Shankar and Jaikishen (18 films), and produced many block-busters.

Raj Kapoor will continue to be remembered and admired so long as films get made in India as one of the finest men who dominated Bollywood for half a century.



		EDITOR'S MAIL EDITOR'S COMMENT INDO-US TIES STATE OF ECONOMY BUDGET FOR MODI 2.0 NATIONAL POLITICS KEJRIWAL’S HAT-TRICK GOOD POLITICS REALPOLITIK FRANKLY SPEAKING MADHYA PRADESH CONSTITUTIONAL VALUES CHANDIGARH DIARY KASHMIR WATCH WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION HITS & MISSES BOOK BAZAAR BOOK BAZAAR SIGNS OF THE TIMES CRIME & PUNISHMENT REMEMBERING RAJ KAPOOR TRAVELLER’S TALE ART OF LIVING Issue:March' 2020 Subscribe Now	REMEMBERING RAJ KAPOOR A great showman Santosh Mehta Joy-Ann Reid Raj Kapoor would have been 95 on December 14 this year. He is a legend and is known as the Greatest Showman, Charlie Chaplin and Clark Gable of The Hindi Cinema. He is responsible for producing, directing and acting in many highly successful Hindi films of the so-called Golden Era of Indian Cinema. Son of Prithviraj Kapoor, he was born in Peshawar (now in Pakistan). His family moved to Bombay in the 1930s, and he began as a child artist in 1935 in Inquilad at the age of 10, and remained active for half a century, during which he was involved in 72 films either as a producer, director, actor or editor. Among his best known and most commercially successful films are Awaara (1951), Aah (1953), Boot Polish (1954), Shree 420 (1955), Chori Chori (1956), Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960), Sangam (1964), Mera Naam Joker (1970), Bobby (1973), Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978), Prem Rog (1982), and Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985). He was popular not just in India, but abroad too, particularly in the then Soviet Union, China and the Middle East. He won three National Film Awards, 11 Filmfare Awards, the Babasaheb Phalke Award, and was honoured with a Padma Bhushan in 1971. The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award is named after him. He set up his own film studio R K Films in 1948 in Chembur, Mumbai. He died in 1988 at the age of 63, but he has left behind a legacy of memorable films. His own family has nine members who have been actively involved in the Hindi film industry: his sons Randhir,Rishi, Rajiv, daughters-in-law Babita (Randhir’s wife) and Neetu (Rishi’s wife), granddaughters Karisma and Kareena (Randhir’s daughters) and Ranbir (Rishi’s son). He became famous after his brilliant acting in Awaara and Boot Polish early in his career. Both these films got him nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival, France. TIME Magazine rated his performance in Awaara as one of the top ten greatest performances. Raj Kapoor has also served as a jury member at the Fourth Moscow International Film Festival. In 1970, he produced, directed and starred in his ambitious film Mera Naam Joker, which took more than six years to complete. His son Rishi Kapoor made his debut in this film, playing the younger version of his character. Raj Kapoor family He got his big break in Neel Kamal (1947) opposite Madhubala in her first role as a leading lady. In 1948 , he became the youngest film director of his time, making his directorial debut with Aag, in which he starred himself as hero along with Nargis, Kamini Kaushal and Prem Nath. His onscreen chemistry with his co-stars such as Nargis and Kamini Kaushal was praiseworthy. He went on to act with Nargis in as many as 16 films. Raj Kapoor acted brilliantly along with veteran Dilip Kumar and Nargis in 1949 in Andaz, directed by the legendary Mehboob Khan, and that role was his first major success as an actor. He had his first success as producer, director and actor of Barsaat, released later that year. He was not only producer but acted in several hit films made under his R. K. Banner, including Awaara, Shree 420, Jagte Raho, and Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai. The last was directed by Radhu Karmakar, his longtime cinematographer, and it won the Filmfare Award for Best Film. These films established his screen image modelled on Charlie Chaplin's most famous screen persona of The Tramp. His other notable films as a leading actor included Dastan (1950), Anhonee (1952), Aah (1953), Chori Chori (1956), Anari (1959), Chhalia (1960) and Dil Hi To Hai (1963). He also produced hit social films Boot Polish (1954) and Ab Dilli Door Nahin (1957). Till now, songs from Boot Polish and Shree 420 continue to mesmerize. Raj Kapoor acted along with Vaijayantimala Bali in the romantic musical Sangam (1964), the first film made in colour in India, which he also produced, directed and acted as hero. This was his last major success as a leading actor. Raj Kapoor has also served as a jury member at the Fourth Moscow International Film Festival. In 1970, he produced, directed and starred in his ambitious film Mera Naam Joker, which took more than six years to complete. His son Rishi Kapoor made his debut in this film, playing the younger version of his character. In Awara, he acted along with his father Prithviraj Kapoor, brother Shashi Kapoor, and Nargis. The film’s dialogues were written by Khwaja Ahmed Abbas. The film was a great hit not only in India but also in the Middle East. In Shree 420, he pays homage to Charlie Chaplin just as in Awaara and Jagte Raho. Abbas’s dialogues lend depth to Shri 420’s principal character Raju: a vagabond driven by the poverty of the countryside to the big city. Raju, played by Raj Kapoor, falls in love with Vidya, a teacher played by Nargis. Nadira also acted in this film. Mera Naam Joker featured, among others, a number of Soviet actors and extras---doubtless as a salute to Raj Kapoor’s popularity in the Soviet Union. Mera Naam Joker was once again an explicit homage to Chaplin. Raj Kapoor directed Sangam, in which he and Rajendra Kumar vie for the beauteous Vyjayantimala’s affection. It is a narcissistic tale of friendship and extreme sacrifice as two men love the same woman. The film became a hit. Vyjayantimala won much praise and appreciation for her dances and performance. Raj Kapoor is appreciated by film critics and his fans. The Government of India has released a stamp to honour him on 14 December 2001. His films Aag, Shree 420 and Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai had a patriotic theme, and encouraged film-goers to be patriots. Besides acting, direction and writing screen-plays, he launched his sons Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor. He produced Bobby with Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. It too became a super hit at the box office. Even today, the film’s song Hum Tum Ek Kamrey May Band Ho can be heard on the radio. The on-screen chemistry between Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia contributed to its commercially success. Dimple sported a colourful bikini, looked sexy and bold. Moviegoers flocked to cinema halls in their thousands to see her. The female body fascinated Raj Kapoor, and he produced and directed several woman-centric films in the 1970s and early 1980’s. Among them are Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) with Zeenat Aman, Prem Rog (1982) with Padmini Kolhapure and Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985), in which he introduced Mandakini. They all became great hits. His last acting role was a cameo appearance was in Kim, a British made-for-television film (1984). His last wish was to direct Henna, but he passed away before he could do so. His sons Randhir and Rishi completed it with Pakistani actress Zeba Bakhtiar, and released it in 1991. Raj had an arranged marriage with Krishna Malhotra (1964). They had three sons Randhir, Rishi and Rajiv, and two daughters Ritu Nanda and Rima Jain. Eldest daughter Ritu is married to industrialist Rajan Nanda. She happens to be motherin-law of Amitabh Bachchan’s daughter Shweta. Despite being a married man, Raj Kapoor is known to have had a romantic relationship with Nargis, the heroine of his films during the 1940s and 1950s. But he never admitted to it. He suffered from asthma and died of complications related to asthma at the age of 63. He collapsed during a ceremony in New Delhi where he was being awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 1987. Raj Kapoor is appreciated by film critics and his fans. The Government of India has released a stamp to honour him on 14 December 2001. His films Aag, Shree 420 and Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai had a patriotic theme, and encouraged film-goers to be patriots. Raj introduced actresses Nargis, Nimmi, Dimple Kapadia, and Mandakini, among others. He was possibly the first director in Bollywood who went out of his way to display on screen the physical beauty of his well-endowed heroines and thus introduced eroticism in Bollywood. He worked for decades with the same creative team that comprised dialogue writer Khwaja Ahmed Abbas (eight films), lyricist Shailendra, cinematographer Radhu Karmakar, singers Mukesh and Manna Dey, and music directors Shankar and Jaikishen (18 films), and produced many block-busters. Raj Kapoor will continue to be remembered and admired so long as films get made in India as one of the finest men who dominated Bollywood for half a century.